<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Over the Garden Wall: Back Into the Unknown by earthkidsareweird</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25197160">Over the Garden Wall: Back Into the Unknown</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/earthkidsareweird/pseuds/earthkidsareweird'>earthkidsareweird</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Over the Garden Wall but with Adult Reddie [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>IT (Movies - Muschietti), IT - Stephen King, Over the Garden Wall (Cartoon &amp; Comics)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Adult Losers Club (IT), Beverly Marsh &amp; Richie Tozier Are Best Friends, Eddie Kaspbrak is a Mess, Endgame Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier, Frogs, Hurt Richie Tozier, M/M, Out of Character Pennywise (IT), Slow Burn, The Jade of the Orient (IT), The Unknown (Over the Garden Wall)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 09:28:29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>6,933</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25197160</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/earthkidsareweird/pseuds/earthkidsareweird</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The Losers learn Mike Hanlon called them back to Derry for one reason:</p>
<p>Children are disappearing.</p>
<p>Now they'll need to retrace their steps through The Unknown in hopes of defeating It for real this time.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Over the Garden Wall but with Adult Reddie [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1787890</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. I.</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <h1>I.</h1>
<p>There’s no actual silence because music plays while the rest of the Losers talk, the vibrations from the gong continue but Richie and Eddie are standing across the room from each other just staring at one another. It’s like seeing a ghost for the first time in such a long time. Just a ghost you knew once upon a time, in another life.</p>
<p>Somehow Richie closes the distance between them as he makes his way towards him ignoring the fact the mallet falls off the wall all over again. Bill tries to shake Richie’s hand like it’s the only way to greet a friend except Richie pushes past him still closing that distance between him and Eddie. One where mixtapes were made and lost and somewhat labeled <em>For Eddie</em>.</p>
<p>Richie cups Eddie’s face as soon as he’s close enough kissing him on the forehead. “I could just eat you up, Eddie Spaghetti! Look at you! You look great! What the fuck happened to me?”</p>
<p>Somehow Eddie manages to laugh rather than grab for his inhale. Turns out, he didn’t realize he was holding his breath. He exhales deeply for the first time. Lungs working just fine. Richie standing right there with his stupid fucking nickname, Eddie Spaghetti. How many times did they go over the whole nickname issue. For some reason, his hands snap into action. He also cups Richie’s face but gives him a real quick kiss on the lips shutting up everybody even Richie and he let’s go right away.</p>
<p>“That-That was weird, I’m being weird, I’m sorry for being weird!”</p>
<p>Richie pushes his glasses up the bridge of his nose. “Jeez who taught you to say hello like that, Eds?”</p>
<p>“Your mom.”</p>
<p>Of course, Richie bursts out laughing, fixing his glasses all over again even though they were just fine. “My mom?! I was gonna say your mom, but then again, there’s a pretty obvious difference between the two.”</p>
<p>“Shut up, Richie!” Eddie considers punching Richie in the shoulder in the playful sort of way or frantically climbing across the chairs and tables to get as far away from him for when they sit down to eat. The others start to sit down but Eddie stands there staring at Richie who ends up pulling out a chair at the table. “Oh, um, thanks?”</p>
<p>“Thanks for what?”</p>
<p> Richie chuckles as he sits down in the chair. Once he’s sitting there, he stops all the snickering, chuckling, laughter or whatever you’d call it. Instead, he sits there smiling at Eddie who ends up stealing a seat from Stan. This leaves on chair between the two of them especially after all <em>that</em>, but Richie watches him take a seat forcing Eddie to look down at his placemat rather than up at Richie. </p>
<p>“Hey Eds?”</p>
<p><em>Stop calling me, Eds.</em> Eddie looks up humming a hmmm? in response.</p>
<p>Richie points at his larger suitcase behind him. “Don’t tell me, you brought your mom to this reunion?”</p>
<p>For some reason, Eddie needs to look back to see what the hell he’s talking about when he does he snaps his attention back to Richie. “Shut up. . .Dick.”</p>
<p>Richie fakes shock, he points at himself. “People rarely say that to my face unless they’re asking. . .”</p>
<p>But the rest of the Losers thank a <em>ribbit</em> for an interruption. They look to Mike who sits there holding a bag underneath the table. There’s another <em>ribbit</em> and somebody comes in taking their orders. When she leaves, Mike pulls out a frog from his bag under his table and sets the frog out.</p>
<p>“I don’t think pets are allowed,” Stan gets a comment in first.</p>
<p>“Hey! It’s Jason Thundercunt!” Richie puts his hands out and his frog friend hops over to him.</p>
<p>“You <em>really</em> need to change that name,” comments Bev with an added eye-roll.</p>
<p>“What? It’s in honor of Jason Thundercunt, the man himself.”</p>
<p>Bev challenges him with a glare. “<em>Richard</em>.”</p>
<p>“Ok, ok.” Richie looks down at his frog friend hanging out there. Even though he’s a little too big to hang out on his shoulder, Richie still picks up the frog and sets him there like he’s a parrott instead. “Jacob Thundercunt, better?”</p>
<p>“No! James wasn’t the word we’re upset about!”</p>
<p>“Ok, ok, you win, Bev.” Richie smiles at his frog friend. “Seth Green. Get it? Because he’s green and a people.”</p>
<p>Mike shakes his head. He’s glad as the server returns with a tray of beer to pass out to each of them. Nothing is said about the fact a frog has joined them for dinner and they’ve been the loudest in the restaurant. “Alright, as Richie said, about commencing. . .” he attempts to get them started but soon appetizers are arriving to the table</p>
<p>Somehow Richie manages to be the first to reach out and grab a beer. He looks at the label <em>Tsingtao</em> and shrugs before he starts to drink leaning back into his seat until he realizes Eddie’s staring at him from where he sits. He looks over at Eddie still drinking his beer while Eddie just hangs onto his.</p>
<p>“What?” Richie asks.</p>
<p>Still, Eddie stares hoping it comes off more as a <em>gaze</em>. “Nothing?” he shrugs. </p>
<p>“That sounded like a question?”</p>
<p>“It did?”</p>
<p>“Yeah.”</p>
<p>“Oh.” Eddie scoots his seat a little closer. Even with Stan separating them, he leans over poor Stan a bit. “You’re supposed to cheer people before drinking, look them in the eye and everything, but instead look at you over here, a rude ass motherfucker.”</p>
<p>“Sorry, I never learned manners.” Their bottles clink together. “To the Losers Club.”</p>
<p>Bottles still touching, Eddie can’t look away. At least, he smiles. It’s hard not to because Richie’s there chuckling just a tiny bit. “Yeah, to Losers.” And with that, Eddie leans back drinking a tiny bit as Richie polishes off his drink. The entire time Eddie keeps smiling at him forcing Richie to mouth a <em>what</em> at him, but he doesn’t come up with an answer. Instead, he picks up his chopsticks poking them at some cha shao bao that arrived to their table. Right in front of him letting him break eye contact for a moment there because he needed it to remember how to breathe again. Soon Mike is gonna start talking again and Eddie almost loses his bao at the thought of it. At least, the bao falls apart over his plate with barbecue pork spilling over his plate like the remains of some sort of murder. And as soon as Mike starts talking, he’ll explain why they’re all there together and how it’s all his fault after some weird jealous power move. </p>
<p>Again, Eddie looks up, he peeks at Richie who is telling a joke in a bad Kiwi accent and to make things worse, Celine Dion is blaring over the speakers at the restaurant. There’s chatter beyond their conversation as everybody cracks up at whatever impression Richie’s doing. There’ll be a lot less smiles when they all start to remember It and Richie keeling over with branches all wound around him, growing in his throat and stomach. Eddie’s the reason to why Richie almost died back there and here they are again. To do what? Stop It? </p>
<p>One win with no deaths is lucky enough. Chances are. . .Eddie looks at each person again before looking over at Richie again who appears to be speaking to him. Richie reaches across the table almost touching the back of his hand saying <em>Eddie</em>. One of them is probably going to die if not all of them meaning Richie might die.</p>
<p>Nothing good can come from any of them being called there.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. II.</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Mike tries his best again and again to explain what's up.</p>
<p>But Richie realizes, he has some other issues.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <h1>II.</h1>
<p>Nobody’s ready to hear what Mike says. It was more fun when they were clinking glasses together and chatting with each other again. Cursing at each other and just accepting the fact they’ve had friends all along even after so many forgetful years, but it’s like time hasn’t separated them or forgetfulness. As if they’ve been friends on the daily since the beginning of their lives.</p>
<p>Mike sits up straighter as he takes in each and every individual face before him. Half forgotten friends sitting almost like twenty-seven years passed between the two of them. He can almost feel the weight of that lantern he carried all those years ago, how hot and bright it burned with him believing if he fed the fire, he could still somehow save his dad. </p>
<p>Only the frog ribbits.</p>
<p>“He agrees,” Richie translates like he’s fluent in amphibian. </p>
<p>“Agrees with what?” Mike snaps.</p>
<p>“That we should get the fuck out of here.” Richie reaches out booping the frog’s face. “You’re a genius, Jason Thundercunt.”</p>
<p>“Stop saying <em>that</em>!” Mike looks down inhaling deeply. “Call him Not-Richie but not right now because I need you-I need you to just listen. Please, everybody, listen!”</p>
<p>It’s back to the table being quiet again. Richie leans back in his seat looking from Not-Richie the Frog to Eddie who appears to be reading the label on his inhaler.</p>
<p>“Something happens when people leave Derry, they-they forget. . .” Mike ushers to all of them sitting there still thinking about that lantern he carried for so long. Maybe it wasn’t ever that long. “We lost ourselves in The Unknown and there’s something wrong with that place again. . .”</p>
<p>“WHAT?! No! Impossible! That never happened!” interrupts Eddie. “None of that ever happened. It doesn’t make sense. None of that could be real. It’s all impossible! Stuff like that doesn’t <em>just</em> exist out there.”</p>
<p>“Then how is it we remember the same thing?” Mike continues.</p>
<p>“I mean, do we?” Eddie looks around the table and nobody says anything. “How could we even tell? If anybody says something it’ll be too easy to agree with.”</p>
<p>“Yeah, it could be some of that Mandela Effect shit,” Richie adds in.</p>
<p>“I don’t think that’s what that means!” retorts Eddie. He takes a quick puff from the inhaler already in hand. “It has to be something else, something like False Memory Syndrome? You know what that is?”</p>
<p>“Like after too many beers and you think somebody’s more attractive and you wake up the next day in bed with them and they’re not attractive at all?”</p>
<p>Bev groans burying her face into her hands. “<em>Richie</em>!”</p>
<p>“No! What? You’re wrong!” Eddie shakes his head.</p>
<p>“Can you let Mike. . .” Stan makes a valiant attempt to but into the argument.</p>
<p>Eddie’s not done talking though. “It’s a thing, I swear. False Memory Syndrome is when you’re identity or relationship is affected by a collection of false memories. Just like it says! Just like this! It didn’t happen, you put-you put the idea in our heads like some shrink making us think we had repressed memories and for what?”</p>
<p>“L-L-Let him talk!” Bill shoots a dirty look at Eddie.</p>
<p>“I mean it, it’s a real thing. Happens <em>all</em> the time.”</p>
<p>“No, <em>that’s</em> impossible,” argues Richie while looking across the table at Eddie. “How could it happen <em>all</em> the time? Then nothing would be real.”</p>
<p>“Shut up, Richie! I’m trying to listen to what Mike has to say.” Eddie ushers his attention to Mike.</p>
<p>“Oh, now you are.” Richie rolls his eyes but sits there still watching Eddie even though Eddie’s turned his full attention to Mike.</p>
<p>But Mike let’s them settle down a bit and let maybe the thought of false memories sink in until he starts speaking all over again, “I think deep down you know it’s true. We somehow got lost in the Barrens out there but it wasn’t the Barrens as we once knew it. The Unknown is a place either where the dead go or the near-dead go. We went in and we made it out and whatever that place is. . .it’s spilling over again into regular Derry. Kids have gone missing.”</p>
<p>Not-Richie the Frog ribbits again.</p>
<p>“Wh-Wh-What d-do you mean k-kids are g-g-going missing?” Bill says something before Richie can get another quip into the moment.</p>
<p>Richie snorts. “It means, they’re fucking gone, Bill. Jesus, have you never seen <em>Unsolved Mysteries</em> before? Oh wait, you have. ‘Cause we watched it together.” The memory slips right on out into their present. Richie bits his lower lip. Wait, too strange. Bill jerks his attention to Richie without a lot to say.</p>
<p>Bev raises a hand but speaks anyway because it’s not like they’re actually in school. “I don’t want to sound morbid, but don’t kids go missing all the time?”</p>
<p>“Of course, but that’s across the nation. I’m talking about right here in Derry, kids have been going missing higher than the national rate. You know this is true, too, deep down. Don’t tell me, you forgot about that, too?” This comment cuts Mike off because of course, they don’t remember. Maybe they’re starting to remember it all. “Nevermind about that. We can get more into it later. But what’s important is that we need to go back to The Unknown.”</p>
<p>Stan starts dramatically shaking his head going, “No, no.” He looks at Mike still shaking his head. “<em>We</em> don’t need to do anything! We can’t! It’s not fair!”</p>
<p>There’s a heck of a lot more arguing happening. None of which reaches Richie’s ears. He goes to take a sip of beer but it hurts like something is caught in his throat. He coughs a bit into his elbow and Bev murmurs <em>bleshyou</em> like he sneezed. Only without eating, something was caught up in his throat. Richie coughs a bit more trying hard to bite it back. There’s still all that arguing before him but he can’t hear it. Even as he bites down on his lower lip to not hack away right there. Something is crawling inside his throat. Little insect legs ripping up the inside of his throat, the itching grows. This is gonna be a problem.</p>
<p>There’s Stan still arguing with Mike though, “I’d like to go home.” He hasn’t touched his food in awhile. “I just want to go home.”</p>
<p>“You don’t get it, we were together when we almost beat It and now we have to be together to really stop It. We have to stick together again, we have to beat It for real this time around!”</p>
<p>Those words feel heavy, they’d hit rock bottom even in some bottomless pit. Not-Richie the Frog lightens the moment with another ribbit alerting them to the server returning to the private room. She put a tray down with a receipt and fortune cookies.</p>
<p>“I’m not getting that,” Richie says, his throat still feeling itchier and itchier. The whole time it grows worth and whatever happens next he misses because it’s about to all come up. The insect critters crawling up through his throat. “I’ll. . . I’ll be right back.” Richie bursts straight out of his seat making a run for it.</p>
<p>Nobody pays much attention. Instead, Mike groans looking at the bill, but at least, Ben takes it and Bev hands him a pen from her purse. He starts to jot some numbers out on the back of the receipt.</p>
<p>In the bathroom, Richie doesn’t make it to a toilet. Instead, he pretty much face plants on the wall as he stumbles and pukes in the trashcan there. Leaves slick with vomit pour out into the trash can, collecting over the top of paper towels. He releases the sides of the trash can and falls back onto his ass. He’s still in the bathroom and in the way of the door. If anybody wants to come in, well, they’re not getting in any time soon.</p>
<p>Not this shit again.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>P.S. Sorry this took forever! I lost my notes and was super sick with scarlet fever and then also school so needed to do some redrafting/outlining. It's also not turning out like I wanted so far so I'm annoyed.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. III.</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Nobody wants to agree with Mike.</p>
<p>Richie leaves.</p>
<p>Eddie goes after him.</p>
<p>Bev makes some plans.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <h1>III.</h1>
<p>Richie splashes water into his face, which is pretty stupid because <em>fuck</em>, his glasses are still on. Not the smoothest move of them all. At least lenses will dry. <em>Breathe. Remember to breathe. Just fucking remember how to breathe.</em> Eddie’s inhaler would be perfect right about now but it’s all the way back at the table, which meant he’d need to make that hike without throwing up leaves everywhere. Some luck he’d have, he’d end up projectile vomiting autumn all over everybody. </p>
<p>Right, when Richie turns to leave, the itchiness grows again and he flings himself into a stall. Autumn’s fucking back. All the leaves he pukes up are so slick with the vomit and some blood on them. This time it makes it in the toilet bowl so he gets to kick it, flushing it away. By the time Richie leaves the bathroom, his hair is pretty wet and little droplets scatter his glasses still. Before Richie can make it back to the table, he spots Bev who waves to them. They’re standing out close to those front doors waiting for him. What losers. Waiting around when he bailed on the bill.</p>
<p>“Woooow! I can’t believe you all fucking stuck around for me.” Richie comes up standing right beside Eddie offering him an actual smile. There’s a family of three sitting on a bench waiting for seats, the mother cups her hands over her kids ears while glaring at Richie. He moves by them. “But like I’m not sticking around. None of that bullshit actually happened, right? Like Eds said, false memory disorder effect.”</p>
<p>“It’s <em>Eddie</em> and I said False Memory Syndrome, you can’t even get that right!” </p>
<p>Richie grins at Eddie, it’s too easy to remember all those steps they took out there in The Unknown never able to find where they should go. So many weird diverging paths until he died or maybe they were all dead from the start. Maybe they’re dead right now, too. Eddie looks down, he tucks his chin against his chest not willing to look up.</p>
<p>“Oh my God! Richie? Richie Tozier?!” somebody shouts from behind. </p>
<p>Richie turns around facing some random guy there who smiles and waves. He looks like he’s about as old as all of them. Everybody else is looking at the guy as he’s cracking up at something. He hasn’t said anything else other than <em>Richie? Richard Tozier?</em> </p>
<p>Nobody offers a word to the current situation though Bev moves a little closer to Richie. So maybe none of them know who the random guy even is. She’s hanging onto Not-Richie the Frog with one arm while the other stays free. </p>
<p>Whoever is speaking to them continues to crack up without anything being said then his pitch goes up a little bit, “This place has everything!” The whole time the guy points at each of his fingers and he keeps up his laughing.</p>
<p>“What. . .the. . .actual. . .fuck. . .!” shouts Richie.</p>
<p>Only the guy keeps laughing until Bev punches him in the face. “Why would you say that? There’s nothing in Derry!”</p>
<p>The guy holds a hand over his face gawking at them. “From his routine.” Good thing there’s only a little bit of blood from his nose. “New York’s Hottest Club. . .’Your mother and I are separating’ or so on. . .”</p>
<p>“Oh shit, yeah. . .” Richie trails away. A few people start to walk over to the guy. “Hey, um, do you want an autograph?</p>
<p>“No, I’m good. Got your autograph already in one of my yearbooks. From before you’re famous.”</p>
<p>“He’s not famous,” interrupts Eddie.</p>
<p>Richie jabs a finger at the air in front of the guy before looking back at Bev and the other. “Oh shit, guys, it’s Jason Thundercunt!”</p>
<p>“No!” Right away the guy pales, grimacing. “It’s. . .Thunder<em>berker</em>.”</p>
<p>“Whatever, man.” Richie puts an arm around Bev’s shoulders. “We’re out.”</p>
<p>Richie and Bev take the lead, they get outside not making it far to smoke a cigarette. Richie lights one for Bev and Bev lights one for Richie. Eddie comes out next tucking his fingers into his front jean pockets. Everybody’s stuck to stand around in the parking lot until this mess gets figured out.</p>
<p>“How did you not remember something from your own routine?” asks Eddie. Both Bill and Ben nod in agreement as they come up joining the rest of them.</p>
<p>“Because it’s Richie. . .he’s an idiot,” mumbles Stan but he somewhat smiles at Richie who smirks at him.</p>
<p>“What? No! I don’t write my own stuff.” Richie shrugs this comment off.</p>
<p><em>I do</em>, mouths Bev with a huge smile. She takes another long drag on her cigarette. </p>
<p>“Anyway, we’re-we’re leaving,” Richie says.</p>
<p>“You can’t though!” Mike protests.</p>
<p>“No, Mike, you should’ve been more upfront with us,” Ben says.</p>
<p>“Upfront about what? The Unknown? You didn’t even remember it until now, we’ll be safe. We’ve done this before we can. . .”</p>
<p>“Could you just shut up!” Richie interrupts and drops his cigarette. The itchiness returns, creeping up his throat with little bug-like legs flinching all around inside him. But throwing up a bunch of bloody leaves in front of everybody seems super terrible. “We’re leaving, we have better things to do like. . .sleep.”</p>
<p>“I haven’t really gotten to the point yet though,” Mike mutters and Bill gives him a long look. “Just let me get more to the point? Please. . .I just ask for at least that much.”</p>
<p>Autumn's making one heck of an attempt to come back though and Richie’s still not looking to spew leaves over everybody. Rather than risk the chance he ends up walking off seemingly more dramatic than he really meant. Then again, puking leaves would naturally cause a hell of a lot of drama. It’s not even Bev who shouts after him. Richie walks a bit faster to get away.</p>
<p>No, not Bev. It’s Eddie who shouts, “Richie! Hey Richie! Wait!” Except Eddie continues to stand out in the parking lot watching Richie disappear from sight. </p>
<p>“Ignore him.” Bev gives Eddie’s shoulder a little push. “He’ll be back. Trust me.”</p>
<p>Instead, Eddie starts to head after Richie calling back to Bev, “I kinda don’t though.” He looks over his shoulder all of one more time at Bev partially lost in thought of a time a bluebird tricked them all into an almost death. It’s pretty hard to dig deep into his thoughts in hopes of finding the name and he finds it. Not meaning to say it out loud, he casually mentions “Adelaide.”</p>
<p>“Oh yeah,” whispers Bev going to smoke another cigarette in such a short amount of time.</p>
<p>Ignoring the fact two people are all gone. Mike breaks up the moment by trying to get back into the earlier conversation. “I spent the longest time with It. . .” </p>
<p>Bev, Ben, Bill, and Stan turn to look at him. All while Bev hugs Not-Richie the Frog with one arm considering to use both, another cigarette’s probably a bad idea. Still she manages to get one out and it’s Bill who helps her light it. The whole time she lets nicotine act as dopamine. She pulls the cigarette away from her lips and mouths <em>Thanks</em> to Bill before looking right back at Mike hoping nobody can spot her blushing just a tiny bit like a child being asked out for the first time. Bev hugs Not-Richie the Frog a little tighter. </p>
<p>“I carried that lantern for all that time. To help It find kids.” Mike allows for a dramatic pause, much more dramatic than Richie storming off from them. “I think I’d know when there’s a problem, right?”</p>
<p>Bev, Ben, and Bill all nod letting Not-Richie ribbit but it’s Stan who speaks up all over again. “Mike. . .I just wanna go home, I shouldn’t be here. I have work to do and a whole life that’s not here!”</p>
<p>“But we have to do something!”</p>
<p>“No. . .no, we don’t, Mike!” continues Stan rubbing his palms along his thighs. “We could’ve died!”</p>
<p>“But only Richie almost died,” is Bev’s only comment on the situation. They look at her. It’s a fact. “Mike came closer to dying than all of us.”</p>
<p>“But you were a bird!” Ben blurts. “That’s not just nothing!”</p>
<p>“I-I-I w-was a h-horse,” Bill adds.</p>
<p>“MIKE! I-I was stuck! I was alone! I didn’t know where I was or how long I was there!” Stan protests like he’s in some argument while looking at each and every single one of them. “A ghost haunted me! And-And I didn’t ever know what was going to happen next and you all showed up. . .”</p>
<p>Silence ends up sinking in after all of <em>that</em>. None of them are granted actual silence though to think through such important thoughts because there’s conversations spilling out of the restaurant with people coming and going. All of which are having such normal, normal conversations but all that normalcy was stolen from them as they stand out in the parking lot. It’d been stolen some time ago though. Just being remembered all over again about past, hidden dangers.</p>
<p>Bev pulls out a set of keys. “I’m gonna find Rich and Eddie.” She pauses looking back at Ben, Bill, Stan, and Mike. Rather than let any more mystery or waiting around happen again, she adds to the conversation at hand, “I’ll see you all in the graveyard.” Another pause. Only Mike nods in response. Of course, he’s the one who’s already on board. “I mean, that’s where it started right?”</p>
<p><em>Right.</em> Somehow it’s what they all say in unison without ever saying anything out loud at the same time.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. IV.</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Eddie finds Richie but Eddie also finds something very, very strange.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <h1>IV.</h1>
<p>The so-called stadium is pretty full. There’s parents and kids and teens all on the bleachers and wandering around. Lots of Halloween costumes are happening. The usual tables are set up for all the school clubs. Almost all of them have a teen or two at them and the ones that don’t are pretty empty with a sign to what they once were. Richie picks up a sign to the empty birding table. There’s a little cutesy drawing of a red bird on the sign, too. Somebody left a clipboard out for people to sign up but somebody jotted down <em>Eat Ass</em> on the third line.</p>
<p>Richie picks up the pen drawing an arrow to the comment and just writes, <em>Fuck you, Man.</em> He drops the pen only to spot Eddie walking up to the table. He looks down at the clipboard then back up at Richie. </p>
<p>“Wow! Real classy, Richie.”</p>
<p>“No, no, I only wrote that.” Richie jabs the <em>Fuck you, Man.</em> “Gotta protect the birding club at all costs. For Stanley.”</p>
<p>Eddie walks around the table to stand beside Richie who tucks his hands into the pockets of his leather jacket. “What are you even doing here?”</p>
<p>“Oh, I came to watch the game.” Richie faces the football field. “Ball kicking. Classic.”</p>
<p>“Yeah, but it’s creepy showing up without any kids you know. That’s very pedophile of you.”</p>
<p>Beside them stood some guy and maybe his wife. They shoot the two a dirty look.</p>
<p>“What? He’s kidding,” Richie retorts. He points at one of the players. “Number 19 is mine. My son. . .Eduardo.”</p>
<p>“Hey! That’s my name.” Eddie fires such a dirty look in Richie’s direction.</p>
<p>“No, your name is Eddie.”</p>
<p>“That’s my son!” snaps the man. “And his name is Stephen.”</p>
<p>Richie doesn’t break eye contact with the man. “Oh shit. . .I got some. . .I got some really awkward news to you about Number 19.”</p>
<p>“Who do you think you are?” the man cuts toward Richie.</p>
<p>Eddie grabs him, pulling him away from that couple. “Smooth, Richie, real smooth.”</p>
<p>“What? I mean, what are the actual chances of their kid being my made up son?”</p>
<p>“Yeah, that is pretty weird. Maybe they’re lying.”</p>
<p>Richie digs his heels into the ground going to turn around as Eddie tries to steer him away and out of the so-called stadium. “Wait! You’re right! We should go back, I have Eduardo’s birth certificate on me.”</p>
<p>“Shut up, Richie! Come on!” Eddie pushes against him getting him to move along. </p>
<p>They come close to leaving the place when Eddie stops. Richie sort of stumbles forward, a misstep going from being pushed to not so much. He looks over his shoulder after saving his balance. It’s a good thing he didn’t fall forward too much ‘cause he’d faceplant into some kids hotdog.</p>
<p>“What the fuck?” Richie watches Eddie watch something else. He’s about to reiterate the same damn question when instead, he looks to see where Eddie looks. </p>
<p>Under the bleachers he notices a past memory of them both arriving, him being all squirrely and so super fucking weird with a mixtape he made for Eddie in his pocket. Not sure how to really get out some thoughts and feelings but interested in buying some alcohol off Bev Marsh. She’d been sitting under those same bleachers when he visited her the first time around. Sitting around, smoking a cigarette, somehow Eddie fell a few steps behind him and somehow Eddie swiped the mixtape straight out of his pocket and handed it off to the birding table thinking it was meant for Bill.</p>
<p>There’s no Bev underneath there now taking a long drag on a cigarette looking like some Molly Ringwald wanna be. Instead, Richie pushes his glasses up the bridge of his nose. Him and Eddie are standing around there seeing a girl walk underneath the bleachers. She looks like she’s staring at something right before her. The girl’s wearing a little orange witch outfit with a pointy purple hat. </p>
<p>“Eds, c’mon, you’re the only one being weird.” Richie tugs at Eddie’s sleeve.</p>
<p>“Don’t you hear that?” Eddie asks, watching the little witch girl move. She makes it to the fence that runs along the so-called stadium. It boxes them all in. Her fingers curl around those chain links. Eddie looks at Richie. “You don’t-You don’t hear that?”</p>
<p>Richie listens. The marching band takes the field. In a half memory again, there’s Bev hanging out under the bleachers. Him sharing a smoke with her as the marching band does their best rendition of Styx. Meanwhile, this marching band appears to be playing <em>Despacito</em>, which is almost out of place. </p>
<p>“Um. . .am I not supposed to be just hearing band geeks?”</p>
<p>But Eddie isn’t laughing, he’s watching the little girl at the fence. “We should talk to her.”</p>
<p>Right when Eddie steps away to go after her, Richie grabs onto him. “No! No, that’s fucking weird like really fucking weird. You come here judging me about being at a high school football game with no kids <em>and</em> you want to stalk some child?!”</p>
<p>“No! It’s the. . .” Eddie’s eyes widen as he gawks at Richie. “You really-You really don’t hear that? The singing?”</p>
<p>Richie rolls his eyes and starts to lead him away this time around. “Shit, what are you on and why haven’t you shared any yet?”</p>
<p>Eddie swats at Richie. “Stop. . .Stop it! This isn’t some hallucination, I swear, there’s a voice-a voice that’s going. . .” Only with both hands, Richie pushes Eddie right on out almost like they’re in a conga line. The two pass the witch girl without looking at her. Well, Eddie makes a weak attempt at looking back at her but they’re out pretty close to the curb.</p>
<p>“Hey Losers!” somebody shouts. The two look up to see Bev in a car parked right in front of them. She’s hanging onto the steering wheel as she leans across the passenger seat looking out the open window at Richie and Eddie. “Get in, we’re getting the fuck out of dodge.”</p>
<p>Right away Richie pops the passenger door open yelling, “I call shotgun.”</p>
<p>Meanwhile, Eddie hangs in the same spot pointing at her. Richie stands on the sidewalk without getting in yet as he looks back at Eddie. “Did she-Did she just quote <em>Mean Girls</em>?” Eddie opens the back door poking his head in first. “Did you just quote <em>Mean Girls</em>?”</p>
<p>Bev still clings to the steering wheel, some music plays real soft on the radio. It’s just <em>the Monster Mash</em>, there to remind them of the surrounding spookiness. “No.” Bev doesn’t laugh at her joke. Just smiles. “We’d be going shopping if I did.” </p>
<p>Once Eddie and Richie are in the car and buckled up, Bev starts to drive. As she pulls away from the so-called stadium, Eddie tries to get a look at the witch girl, but she’s gone like she never stood around there. Richie saw her though. He was sure Richie saw her. Just Richie couldn’t hear the quiet, quiet singing: <em>Come, wayward soul, And wander through the darkness, There is a light, for the lost and the meek. . .</em></p>
<p>Some distant tune he’s heard before unable to place it even more so with the fact Richie never heard it but him and that little girl did. Upfront Richie clears his throat. He leans forward holding a hand over his mouth clearing his throat again. Eddie leans back poking the lockdown and makes no more comment.</p>
<p>Upfront though, Richie’s at a loss. Autumn is threatening to make a comeback and puking leaves up in Bev’s rental car seems pretty shitty. That and talk about the panic it’d cause. His throat is so itchy but no matter how much he tries to clear his throat or cough, it never gets better. He feels worse and if it continues to get worse then that means he’ll need to tell Bev to pull the fuck over, he’s gonna spew.</p>
<p>Richie closes his eyes, squeezes them shut real tight starting up a mantra: <em>If you’re gonna spew, spew into this</em>. The <b>this</b> being the great outdoors. <em>If you’re gonna spew, spew into this.</em></p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. V.</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>For real this time, back into the Unknown.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <h1>V.</h1>
<p>“We’re here.” Bev pulls the parking brake.</p>
<p>“WHAT THE FUCK?” Eddie snaps behind her.</p>
<p>Bev lied. She snuck them right into the graveyard parking lot rather than getting out of dodge. No stop at the Derry Inn to pick up things and no <em>You’re Now Leaving Derry</em> sign. It’s them and that graveyard where this shit started. </p>
<p>Richie opens his eyes not making sense of where they are because here comes autumn. He shoves open the car door making a sprint for it ignoring the fact he comes so, so close to tripping over some gravestones. His toes clip a broken one sending some shock waves up into his knee. He ends up crashing down anyway puking behind one of the graves. Leaves, leaves, leaves, and more leaves. Slick with blood but out there it looked like they came from trees and not his stomach, which is weird seeing he’s only had a lot of Chinese food for the night. Half digested fried rice would never look like this.</p>
<p>“Why are we here?” Eddie yelps. He’s out of the car and so is Bev. “I thought we were leaving? You literally said <em>Get in Losers, we’re getting the fuck out of dodge</em>, but THIS is the complete opposite!”</p>
<p>Richie straightens his back. “Thanks for nothing, Bev.”</p>
<p>“Huh?” Bev glares at him.</p>
<p>“Your shit driving made me carsick.”</p>
<p>“Oh.” Bev rolls her eyes and holds out a flashlight which she switches on and starts to walk along. “Get over yourself.”</p>
<p>Richie kicks some of the ordinary leaves over his pile there. He joins Eddie and Bev as they walk towards the middle of the graveyard where Mike, Ben, Bill, Stan, and Not-Richie the Frog are all waiting with flashlights of their own. Even Not-Richie has his own little flashlight, it’s a tiny bright one on a keychain. They’re sitting cross-legged in the dirt.</p>
<p>“We gotta stop it,” Mike speaks up.</p>
<p>Stan lifts up a coke bottle. “Don’t worry, we’re only drinking age-appropriate drinks.”</p>
<p>Eddie comes close to adding a new quip when he hears the singing again. The words are dangling on the wind around them. Not cool, not cool. There’s no excuse for it here. Back at the so-called stadium, there’s at least a lot of people which could make sense for the words. But out here, it’s just them and none of the others are the ones singing, <em>Come, wayward soul, And wander through the darkness, There is a light, for the lost and the meek. . .</em></p>
<p>“Guys. . .” Eddie summons and all over again, he sees the witch girl. She’s walking all zombie-like through the graveyard. Not once does she stumble, she stares forward making her away through the darkness, no light in hand. </p>
<p>“Holy shit!” Richie shouts before Eddie can attempt to provide an explanation. “It’s that girl again!”</p>
<p>“What girl?” Ben speaks up.</p>
<p>Richie points at the witch girl who climbs over the wall at the edge of the graveyard. “I don’t know, but that girl doing weird shit.”</p>
<p>“See! I told you, guys!” Mike blurts as they all watch the witch girl disappear over the wall. “We have to stop It! Somehow It's maybe more powerful.”</p>
<p>“That sounds like a great reason to run away,” mutters Eddie.</p>
<p>Stan hops up. “I’m going home.”</p>
<p>Except Mike gets up grabbing Stan’s wrist. “Wait, please!” Stan looks down at him with one of his classic sad smiles. “<em>We</em> need you! I need you!” Mike looks around at each of them, he even made eye contact with Not-Richie the Frog. “I need all of you. We went over the wall together the first time and now we have to do it again to stop-stop. . .”</p>
<p>“It,” Bill finishes the sentence. He stands up. “We h-h-have to do it.”</p>
<p>“Ah fuck, fucking fuck, I fucking hate this place!” Eddie complains.</p>
<p>Richie slaps a hand onto Eddie’s shoulder. “We could always run off together.”</p>
<p>Eddie raises his hand. “Change of mind, I’m ready to go straight back into the Unknown.”</p>
<p>“But!” Bev cuts in. Even though some people were standing up, she sits down across from Mike and Ben who remain on the ground. “The last time we all went over the wall at the same time but we all ended up in different places. Wouldn’t that happen again?”</p>
<p>“Bev has a good point,” Ben comments.</p>
<p>“Ah, let’s just hold hands or some shit when we hop over. I bet that’ll help.” Richie chuckles and goes to hold Eddie’s hand but Eddie jerks his hand away and Richie moves to hold Stan who sidesteps out of the way for him. “Alright then. I’m still leaving anyway.”</p>
<p>“But are you really?” Bev asks, looking at him.</p>
<p>Richie picks Not-Richie up hugging him to his chest. “No, I’ll stay.”</p>
<p>A beat of silence clings to Richie, Eddie, Bev, Ben, Stan, Bill, and Mike. They spend an uncomfortable amount of time looking into each other's eyes before looking at the next time while Not-Richie ribbits in Richie’s arms.</p>
<p>“I think Richie has a point,” Mike adds, “We should hold hands when we go over.”</p>
<p>“So. . .w-w-we’re really d-d-doing this?” Bill asks.</p>
<p>“Yeah, apparently we don’t have anything better to do,” Richie grumbles.</p>
<p>Nobody makes the first move. This leaves Mike to take the lead once again. The group walks over to the wall around the graveyard. It dips down into the Barrens. Somewhere water babbles and somewhere else a train whistles. They lean into the wall without sparing a joke or two. Just a whole lot of silence but somewhere else out there the train continues to whistle and Not-Richie ribbits. Bev digs her fingers into the wall, she’s the first to rise up to the top and stands there holding a hand out for Bill to grab.</p>
<p>Bill reaches up catching Bev’s hand. She helps him up next Stan comes up and Mike, the four hold hands. On Bev’s other side Ben climbs up, holding her hand. This leaves Stan, Richie, and Not-Richie down there on the ground. Richie looks at Eddie who’s standing closer to Ben than him. He’s closer to Mike yet cuts across the empty space between them and takes a stance beside Ben before helping Eddie onto the wall.</p>
<p>“Can’t believe we’re doing this,” Eddie ends up muttering there.</p>
<p>Richie squeezes his hand a little tighter. “Oh shut up, we’re fine.” He has Eddie’s hand but not Ben’s who tries to grab his hand but he’s hugging Not-Richie.</p>
<p>“On the count of three?” Bev suggests.</p>
<p>People more or less agree with some muttering but Richie and Ben.</p>
<p>“C’mon Richie,” whispers Ben. </p>
<p>Richie looks at Eddie then at Not-Richie, his throat still feels a little itchy and he needs to balance Not-Richie somewhere safe. “Just hold on.”</p>
<p>“Three,” Bev, Stan, Mike, and Bill say.</p>
<p>“Wait, hold on!” protests Eddie.</p>
<p>Nobody listens, the four say again in unison, “Two.”</p>
<p>“Shoulder, put him on your shoulder,” Ben says and Richie struggles to get him up onto his shoulder with one arm.</p>
<p>The other four are just starting to say <em>one</em> in unison when Ben breaks the chain to help Richie put Not-Richie on his shoulder. Stan and Mike leap forward as Bill starts to plummet from the wall trying to hold onto Bev who is slowly yelling Ben as she loses her balance on the wall and falls off.</p>
<p>“Bev!” Ben goes to reach out for her and his fingers just reach her and he falls forward, torn down with her.</p>
<p>Just Richie, Not-Richie, and Eddie are left on the wall without going over it yet. “Oh shit, I fucked up.” He looks at Eddie. “Did I just fuck up?”</p>
<p>“You fucked up.” Eddie nods.</p>
<p>“I fucked up.” Richie continues to hug Not-Richie even though he’s a tad bit slimy with being a frog and all. “Oh shit.”</p>
<p>“We can still go home,” whispers Eddie.</p>
<p>“Go home? <em>We</em> can’t go home, <em>we</em> don’t live together.”</p>
<p>Eddie gives him some looks, undefinable. </p>
<p>“What?” Him and Richie are still holding hands. “Ready? On the count of three?”</p>
<p>Eddie is so dramatic in the way he rolls his eyes and shakes his head. “Let’s just get this over with.”</p>
<p>Without further delay, the two leap over the wall and straight back into the Unknown after the rest of those Losers.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I've had notes and parts of this all finished and kept forgetting to post them. Now that I'm pretty sick I'm updating what I can and might take a break for a bit.</p>
<p>Anyway drop a comment or kudo if you like this or forever hold your peace if you don't.</p></blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>